#PalmettoPrimary Christie cancels SC events Wednesday

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie canceled a visit to South Carolina on Wednesday and instead returned to his home in the Garden State after a disappointing finish in Tuesday night’s New Hampshire GOP primary.

The move sparked speculation that he will soon drop out of the race.

Just below 8 percent of GOP voters chose Christie in Tuesday’s primary, putting him in sixth place despite the fact he had made campaigning in that state a top priority. The governor also lost ground to other governors John Kasich and Jeb Bush in the results and was facing a very difficult path as a New Jersey moderate in the Southern states that will dominate the next month of primaries.

“We’ve decided we’re going to go home to New Jersey tomorrow and we’re going to take a deep breath and see what the final results are,’’ Christie told his supporters in New Hampshire as the results came in.

Christie was scheduled to spend Wednesday in the Charleston region, appearing in a Conservative Leadership Project town hall at the College of Charleston and speaking to prospective voters at Sticky Fingers restaurant in Mt. Pleasant.